Birr Courthouse Group preparing application for major grant

The Birr 2020 Courthouse Group, in collaboration with Offaly County Council, is currently preparing an application for a major grant, which will go towards the development of the former courthouse on Townsend Street in the town.

The development will be called Birr Creative Court, which will be a creative art hub in the Courthouse and its adjacent yard.

The group said the Creative Court has been in the pipeline since 2015. “A case is now being prepared by the Birr 20:20 Vision Courthouse group,” they said in a statement this week, “in collaboration with Offaly County Council, to apply for a major grant to turn the Courthouse into an art hub for professional artists working in different media such as visual arts, film, animation, theatre, music, crafts. This is a very special opportunity for professional artists seeking to work in a sympathetic, supportive environment with like-minded creative people.”

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It's intended that the Creative Court will be a sister building to Birr Theatre & Arts Centre.

Ownership of the Courthouse has transferred from the Department of Justice to Offaly County Council.

Last year the Council spent €200,000 on repairs to the fabric of the building to prevent further deterioration.

The hub will be supported by a business plan that is currently under preparation. This will include a ten to fifteen year commitment from the Trench Trust to support the OFFline Animation Residencies, which it has supported for the past five years.

“We are looking for expressions of interest,” continued the statement, “from local and not so local practitioners and community groups who would like to be kept informed about the development and would have an interest in using it.”